Obama's love of books

I just love that President Obama stopped by Prairie Lights bookstore in Iowa City yesterday. He was in Iowa to make a speech about the new health care law, and during his talk he mentioned that the bookstore would now get tax benefits to offset its rising health care costs.Then he stopped by the store.

And he bought three books,“Journey to the River Sea,” by Eva Ibbotson, “The Secret of Zoom,” by Lynne Jonell, (for his daughters) and a Star Wars pop-up book for the six-year old son of his press secretary.

I can't remember a recent American president every doing this. I think Obama is one of us: he loves to browse. I bet he would have loved to have spent another half hour at the store looking at the new releases. After all, he is a prolific and varied reader.

I think this can give independent bookstores a boost.